VIVAnews - The internet technology has not only made its way to primary schools. Now, it has also taken on Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). The gesture was marked by the initiative of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (Telkom) of conducting an internet workshop at Kresek Islamic Boarding School in Cibatu, Garut regency, West Java from May 18 to 19, 2010.
The workshop, otherwise known as the Santri Indigo, provides knowledge and training on how to use the internet in order to support the roles of Islamic school communities, including in digital religious teaching activities.
According to Telkom Public and Marketing Communications Vice President Eddy Kurnia, the internet is like a double-edged sword. It may be used for positive and constructive purposes as well as the negative ones.
“We should not reject or avoid the internet. We have to get into it, learn it, and use it for positive things,” Kurnia said in a press release received by VIVAnews in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 19.
Santri Indigo is one of Telkom’s major programs that facilitate Islamic boarding school students in carrying out online teachings. Through the program, the company accommodates and improves the students’ skills and knowledge in using the ICT, including creating and administering web blogs.
“During the workshop, the students were given motivation and knowledge on using the internet to teach, online learning system, how to use the internet and create blogs, which would eventually be used for cyber teaching activities,” Kurnia said.
The participants and alumni of the workshop are called Santri Indigo because they are considered as productive and digitally-cultured students who honor positive mentality in their work and maintain good relationship with others by establishing the Indonesia Digital Community (Indigo).
Kurnia said the Santri Indigo program was initiated in 2008 and has been implemented in 11 Islamic boarding schools such as Al-Hamidiyah, Al-Ikhsan Balendah Bandung, Daar-El Qolam in Tangerang, Banten and Darussalam in Ciamis, West Java.
The activity, which was previously entitled Internet Pesantren Wahana Syiar Digital, has had 1,150 alumni that are divided into 11 classes. Each of the class was filled by mostly 75 to 100 participants, consisting of 60 students and teachers, who served as supervisors, from 30 Islamic boarding schools and Aliyah schools in cities selected to host the workshop.
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Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
